Bittersweet
by Laylah
Summary: Set immediately after the events of DMC3, our favorite OneManArmy Dante and dear Lady find themselves in big trouble. Again. Eventually DanteLady pairing.Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:****Hey all. I don't know where I'm going with this fic yet, the chapter's a bit short, but I hope you will enjoy**.

**Usual Disclaimer: I don't own DMC.**

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Evening settles over the city. Dante walks through the deserted streets, feeling the cool night air breathing around him with thick fumes. A cold wind blows, the garbage fluttering down, a slight sprig of rain is coming down, causing a few bums to shift a little in their sleep. He's unusually quiet, his hard lips bearing no smile. He's still coming to terms with the loss of his twin brother.

It hurts. He knows the pain will never really go away, stay embedded in the deepest core of his heart. He tries not to dwell on it anymore, not tonight. He's tired.

His company does not interfere with his thoughts, keeping a steady pace alongside him. She's silent too, lost in her own thoughts.

"What will you do?" She asks abruptly.

He gives a faint shrug, his features passive. "What I do best." He replies after a slight pause.

Lady glances over to him, wondering if his confident smile, his cheesy sense of humour will ever return. She watches the wind play upon the silvery platinum strands; caress the face darkly brooding, eerily reminiscent of his twin brother. His glacial blue eyes are downcast, fixed on the pavement, absent-mindedly as they continue their walk.

Dante heads up the street, stopping in front of a nondescript house. Producing a set of keys, he pauses and shoots her a sideways glance.

"You coming?"

"I'd better get going." She says, stifling a yawn.

Now a smile crosses his lips.

"Well, if you think I'll let you make me stand here and beg you like an idiot…" He begins, his face blank. "You're right." A soft grin spreads across his lips. "Come on in, would you, Lady?. I know you're tired. There's a spare room, and I'm sure you could use a nice, warm shower."

"What? Are you implying that I smell?" Lady jests, a slight smile lighting up her delicate features.

"Sure, like flowers." He says with a sneer, holding the door open for her. "Ladies first."

Lady rolls her bi-coloured eyes, and steps inside.

Dante walks in after her, flicks on the lights, slipping out of his crimson trench coat and shutting the door. Going straight over to the stereo, he switches it on. Some hardcore music blares from the speakers.

Lady casts a final glance about the simply furnished room, plopping down on the red leather couch. She grimaces at the sudden jolt of pain, her hand going to her hastily bandaged inner thigh.

A serious look crosses Dante's face, a look of concern enters his eyes as he looks at the pretty deep wound.

"You feeling okay, Lady?" He asks gently.

She nods. "I'll be fine"

He has a look plastered on his face that says "Yeah right." He begins to murmur along with the song, combat boots thudding on the floor with each long and smooth stride as he crosses the room toward a cupboard. He rummages through it for a good five minutes before finding what he's looking for.

He pulls a chair opposite her, sitting down with his brown leather clad legs spread, holding out a small jar.

"This works wonders." He screws the lid off, bringing it to his nose to have a quick sniff. Satisfied, he offers her a comforting smile, as she eyes him, and the strange smelling ointment.

"What's that?" She inquires, wrinkling her small nose.

"Mom's remedy. It'll take the pain at least. Now give us a look at that wound." He says, leaning over.

Lady looks unconvinced. "No thanks." She mumbles.

Dante breathes a sigh. "Look, Lady, I'm only trying to help. You don't want that to get infected now do you?"

"Who asked for your help!" She hisses. Her face is now masqued with a dark frown as her temper threatens to flare.

"If it doesn't work, sue me. C'mon, just trust me for once!" He says his half-smile ever present.

Lady grumbles beneath her breath, but does not protest when Dante gently rests her leg across his lap, cleaning the nasty cut with antiseptic liquid. Then he rubs the soothing salve across the wound with tenderness, his long fingers massaging the inner flesh of her thigh with slow, gentle strokes.

She gasps and flushes uncomfortably, the cool effect of the salve spreads over her broken flesh, it is indeed soothing, but her skin is suddenly suffused with a hot blush from the half-demon's tantalizingly slow, expert touch.

His brilliant sapphire eyes meet her bi-coloured ones, holding her gaze as he continues to smooth the ointment over her pale, velvety skin. The blue irises darken with a strange emotion, his expression thoughtful as he gazes at her. Seeing the dark sensuality smouldering in their depths, her soft, lush lips part in surprise and delight, her pulse beginning to race. She wonders just what kind of a fool she is to have let him do this to her, but it feels good…so damn good.

The tension in his body mounts, the air between them electric with the powerful surge of desire. His breathing becomes shallow, he wants to touch her, all over, feel every inch of her soft skin next to his, to feel the searing warmth inside her core.

A single knock on the door breaks the heavy trance, causing Lady and Dante both to cut their attention to the entrance.

This is going to be a long night.

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	2. Hell's Playground

**Author's Note: Hey guys, thank you heaps for the reviews, they make my day.In DMC3 Dante's shop was indeed destroyed, and I know he lives above his store and all. In this story he's got another place besides the shop and the neighbourhood is ace, as you will see in this chap. Ack anyways please disregard any errors I might have made, I have only played the third installation of the series, and am not familiar with the first 2 games.  
**

**I've added some creepies, little bit more tension, I hope you will enjoy.**

**And, uh, yeah, as I said, reviews make my day. : )

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There's a loud banging on the door, getting louder and more desperate each passing second. Lady jerks upright, reaching reflexively for her guns.

Dante hops off his chair with liquid agility and swings open the door, unimpressed.

He sees a hysterical, dreadlocked teenager at his doorstep, eyes popping. He immediately recognizes the kid as Jase, the youngest son of a weird religious family that has moved in next door.

"Dante, help! They want to kill me! They killed my dad!" The kid sobs.

"Whoa, slow down buddy, what have you been smoking?" Dante asks, his initial confusion rapidly evaporating at the sight of the father shambling toward them, empty, unholy white sockets for eyes, claw marks across his ruddy cheeks oozing yellow pus, his suit tattered.

His head hangs at an odd angle, his throat ripped, as though savaged by a ferocious wild animal, blackened blood continuously seeps from the open wound.

The boy yelps, wide-eyed and jumpy, dashing past Dante and into the house, ducking behind the couch and putting as much distance as he can between him and the creature that was once his father.

Dante is coolly calm. "Hey there Mr. Ashbury, you're just in time for the party!" He says excitedly, grinning from ear to ear.

In an instant, a gun appears in his hand; a pistol gleaming with an ebony lustre.

The mindless creature lunges forward in an attempt to swipe at Dante with a vicious looking claw-like hand. Dante unloads the whole clip into the dead thing's chest. The monster wails, and then drops to the ground.

Dante's eyes scan the darkness ahead, sensing malign, evil shapes a few paces into the distance; a horde of demonic zombies emerge from the alleyway, speeding toward Dante with their white eyes shining.

Lady springs beside Dante, fast and silently like a cat. Whipping out her submachine gun, she begins firing.

In an inhumanly swift and deft manoeuvre, Dante reloads his pistol and blasts the creatures, bullets piercing the air with a deadly dance, and raining on the monsters.

When the last of the reanimated corpses falls, its brains a gory wall decoration, Dante and Lady stop.

Dante surveys the scene with cool eyes, a wide smirk settling on his lips, and he gives a low whistle.

"Damn, that was some crazy shit! First demons, now zombies...And it's not even my birthday yet!" He chuckles.

Lady holsters her gun, her eyes narrow questioningly. "Why do I feel we haven't seen the end of it yet…?" She mumbles.

Jase overhears, eyes widening in shock. "Demons?"

Lady rolls her eyes, walking back inside. "Don't listen to him. He's had one too many tonight." She tries to appear calm and controlled, staring meaningfully at Dante.

"Sure, babe. Whatever you say." Dante smirks, follows her through the door, slamming it shut; he leans against the wall and folds his arms across his toned chest.

Jase looks from the short, raven haired pretty girl to his friend.

"That your girlfriend?" He asks innocently, inclining his head toward Lady.

"Yeah, ain't she special?" Dante grins as Lady bristles. She shoots a withering glare in Dante's direction.

"I'd sooner date a demon!" She says, her eyes widening at what she has just said.

"Be careful what you wish for babe." Dante winks.

Lady makes a face and goes into the kitchen, putting the kettle on, she goes about making tea.

Dante turns his attention to Jase. "So, the town's surely livened up since I've last been." He says. "What happened?"

Jase slumps on the couch and sighs. "Man, damned if I know! They appeared from nowhere! Earlier on, after that godforsaken tower disappeared I saw some whackos in black robes hanging around the cemetery performing some ritual or some creepy shit. And now this…" He says, panting.

Lady sets a glass of water in front of the younger teenager. He nods graciously.

"So, when did this happen, exactly?" She asks absently, her eyes averting at the mention of the "tower".

"Dunno, bout a few hours ago." As Jase reaches out for the water, the raw bite marks on his wrist pushes its way out of his shirt sleeve. Dante's observant blue eyes flick to Jase's wrist.

"Hey bud, would you excuse us for a sec?" Dante seizes Lady's arm and walks with her up the stairs, out of earshot.

"Let go!" Lady fidgets and fumes, her bi-coloured eyes flashing brown and blue.

"Listen to me, Mary." He begins smoothly, in a low, serious voice. He has her full attention now.

"He's been bitten. Gods know what we're dealing here. Personally, I'm not a zombie specialist, but I can feel something's not right about him."

"And your point is?" Lady stares at Dante, she blinks.

"We have to get rid of him."

"No way! Like you said, we don't know anything about the situation yet. He could be cured!" Lady argues firmly.

"Oh yeah? With what? Really, I'm curious, how do you suggest we do that? He might be turning into one of them as we speak!" Dante shoots back, beginning to lose patience.

"Why, demon, you could use your dear mom's ointment! It seems to work miracles!" Lady fires back sarcastically, anger rising in her voice…Her eyes glisten with tears as Dante regards her in hurt, thoughtful silence.

Lady bows her head, hot tears begin to roll down her cheeks. She's had a tough night, and she's sick of seeing innocent people die.

Dante gently places his hands on her shoulders, cocking his head. Something stirs inside him. He has never seen this side of her before, and it's oddly upsetting.

"Fine, have it your way." He says softly.

Lady is suddenly aware of the close proximity of his body, she slowly raises her gaze.

"Why do you care?" She whispers.

Dante remembers another time when she asked the same question. This time, however, he doesn't say anything. Instead, he slowly presses her against the wall, his hands slowly move to her sides.

Surprisingly, she permits him, slipping an arm around him somewhat unsurely at first. Her body quivers, feeling their mutual passion merge and pulse around them. She's afraid, yet she craves. It's not a comforting sensation. Then, all thought dissolves, Dante gently grips the back of her neck, lowering his face to hers.

"Kiss me." He whispers against her mouth. Lady brushes her full, cherry velvet lips against his, but does not kiss him. She places her hand on his thigh, and pulls him closer to her.

She slides her hand a little higher along his thigh, her breath softly tickling his ear. Dante moans quietly, he has never been teased and tortured like this before. He's achingly hard all over.

A sudden, ear-splitting shriek followed by the sound of smashing glass echoes from downstairs. Dante and Lady rush down t to find the window broken, and the boy gone.

Dante grumbles, Lady frowns.

"C'mon. To the graveyard." Dante says hurriedly. He reaches for Rebellion and slides on his trench coat.

Lady nods. "I'm with you."

They walk to a parked Ford V8 and Dante gets in the driver's side, Lady hops in the passenger seat and buckles up.

"This is all wrong. I don't get it. Temen-ni-Gru's gone, the portal to the demon world is closed. Why is all this happening?" Dante muses.

He switches on the headlights and revs the engine, warming it up. "Nonetheless, the party's just beginning." He winks at her.

Lady mutters a "whatever", Dante slams on the gas, car begins to roar, the tyres squealing, and the car speeds through the night toward its hellish destination.

So far, so good…

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	3. Dead Things&Wild Things

**Author's Note: Here we are back in action, guys. I'm actually enjoying writing fluff, for a change. : )**

**Kireiko****: Thanks muchly for your support, I promise I'll write longer chapters! For as long as my caffeine starved brain can manage! Thanks champ!**

**kiki0303: Resident Evil… hmmm now that you gave me the idea.. –grins- wait! Is it a deadite? –scratches head- hmm, evil dead doesn't mix well with devil may cry! But you're right, zombie, yeah…not to mention other nasties… **

**Have fun, guys. Please don't deny me your feedback!

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After a brief and uneventful journey the car slows down to a halt outside the cemetery. Dante stops the engine, and they get out.

Lady pulls out her flashlight and turns it on, glancing about warily.

Dante flicks up his crimson collar, observing their surroundings, his eyes on the lookout for trouble.

The cemetery is a vast, isolated yard of headstones weathered by age, blanketed with a foggy, semi opaque darkness. A raven perched on the skeletal branch of a tree caws once and flies off. The ambience is one of eerie quietness.

"Welcome to the Twilight Zone." Dante mumbles to himself.

Heading through the iron gates, the duo stride down the cemetery trail, scanning the area.

Dante grins broadly, his blood pulses with sweet anticipation of a fight.

Suddenly, his sharp gaze focuses on something by a mausoleum a bit further into the distance and he lays a hand on Lady's arm.

"Over there." He says to her.

Lady snaps her head up and follows the line of Dante's gaze, lowering her flashlight.

The scene is disturbing to say the least. The ground is littered with fresh corpses, the faint, sickly sweet smell of decay mingled with rain soaked damp earth wafts from the area. A lone man clad in a stained lab coat crouches by the stone wall of the mausoleum, wheezing and shaking.

Lady's face sets in a stern frown.

"What a mess!" Dante observes.

The man doesn't make a move for long moments, and then suddenly raises his head, squinting his eyes as the blue beam of the flashlight falls on his face.

"Don't come any closer!" The man howls.

In the artificial light, his face seems a sickly pale, dark rings under feverish bloodshot eyes. Sweat trickles steadily down his forehead. His oddly bluish lips tremble.

Lady pulls out her gun and flicks off the safety, her frown deepening.

"Then you'd better start explaining yourself, and be quick about it!" Lady says icily.

"I told them not to do it… but they didn't listen." The man murmurs, then repeats feverishly. "I told them!"

"Chillax pal! Look, my girl's getting a little twitchy here, so shoot." Dante says unfazed.

"Lately there's been a whole lot of weird things happening…" He licks his lips.

"No shit!" Dante cuts in.

"They thought they could control the _thing_, but they couldn't…I told them…The re-animated corpses will overrun the whole city, there's no way of stopping it…We're all going to die." The man murmurs.

"Uh, who's they?"

"Black Sun Incorporated. It's an extensive medical and scientific research facility, funded by the government. They're also responsible for eliminating toxic wastes and radioactive dumps I… I work for them."

"How unfortunate." Dante says in a sarcastic tone. "Keep going."

"Last night , an alien creature was brought into the premises..."

Dante looks mystified. "Alien eh?" He repeats incredulously. "Ah, .the plot thickens."

The man nods shakily, and gives an accurate description of the weird tentacled Enigma demon Dante encountered within the Temen-ni-Gru.

Lady and Dante exchange glances.

"We were going to run some tests on the deviant creature, but it became too unstable, and eventually attacked my colleagues. The operation failed, and the termination process backfired. Those killed by the abomination didn't remain dead for long, however…" The man trails off, coughing up blood.

Lady is very quiet at this.

"Man, you guys gotta be A grade morons for sticking your noses where they don't belong." Dante sighs. " So, where's this little munster now?"

"I… I don't know…it could be anywhere…Spreading the disease…"

"Riight, but, what exactly are you doing in a cemetery?"

There's no reply. Fresh blood trickles down his chin, and the man bows his head, suddenly stark still.

In a flash, Dante draws Ebony and Ivory, aiming for the head.

"Sorry, champ. It's nothing personal." At that moment the dead man, revived by the unholy infection, springs to his feet, gleaming teeth bared, his eyes burning ghastly white.

With diabolical speed, Dante fires, blowing the dead man's brains out. . The zombie collapses on the ground like a rag doll.

"Man, that was nasty." Dante whistles shrilly, and turns to Lady, who's been stark silent for the past couple of minutes.

"Hey Lady, hello, u still there?" He sounds concerned.

She nods slowly.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Just leave me alone." Lady snaps. She starts walking back to the car.

Dante follows. "What's wrong?"

"I said, leave me alone!"

"Who pissed in your cornflakes! Geez, Lady, take a chill pill!" Dante catches up and grabs her arm.

Lady spins around, flashing a glare at Dante. She's about to kick him a good one between the legs, he releases her.

"What did I do this time huh? Just talk to me, Lady! Don't shut me out!" Dante says in frustration. He rakes his fingers through his silver-white hair.

She gives him a long, thoughtful look. "Before my father became corrupted, he used to work for Black Sun. They're not what they seem." Sadness creeps into her voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dante enquires.

Lady shakes her head slowly. "I have to get to the bottom of this. I have to stop the demon."

"Has anyone ever told you about team-work?" Dante says playfully, ignoring her earlier outburst.

Lady rolls her eyes in response. Then, she looks away.

"I'm just a bit tired, that's all." She says.

"That makes two of us, babe."

"Um, do you want to grab something to eat, while we think of a way to sort out this mess?" She asks, pulling some confidence together.

Dante shoots a toothy grin. "Great minds think alike."

* * *

The interior of the 24-7 coffee shop is warm and inviting; decent food, an old juke-box, and soft lights. 

The only occupants are seated at a booth at a far corner, the tranquil silence is only interrupted by the sounds of a cleaning lady sweeping the floors, the low humming of the fridge ,and a slow, obscure 70's music filling the air.

Dante finishes his greasy fries and leans back in his seat with a contended sigh.

"I'm sorry I overreacted." Lady says in a low voice.

Dante studies her…Despite her courage and strength, beneath the tough exterior, she's still a distressed, emotional and sensitive teenager.

"That's ok." He says simply.

"No, I mean it. It's just…whenever I'm reminded of my father, something tears inside me, I hate him with passion, but I…I miss him at the same time. It just sucks."

She stares at her untouched cheeseburger.

"There's nothing wrong with that. It's understandable. You've been through a lot."

Lady nods absent-mindedly, popping a chip into her mouth.

Dante reaches across the table and nudges her. "Hey, if you really want to make it up to me, cheer up, ok?"

Lady slowly looks up, her wayward, glossy raven hair falls in her eyes, the blue-brown eyes light up, and a half-smile curves her lips.

"I know why you're so tense. You need to get laid, seriously." He grins. "I'm more than happy to help."

A crimson blush stains Lady's cheeks. "I don't need that kind of help!"

"So, aren't you going to go out with me?" Dante presses.

"Not a chance! You're a pest, Dante!" Lady grumbles.

"Why the hell not?" He persists.

"Well, you're a demon for starters…" She says quietly so as not to be overheard by the staff.

"Half-demon." Dante corrects. "Besides, we've been through this together, we might as well hook up."

Lady raises an eyebrow. "You're weird."

"I try." Dante smirks.

"Dante, how can you think about dating when the town's pretty much turned into a freakville, with a demon on the loose?" Lady asks, wiping her greasy hands on a tissue.

"How can I not, when I'm with you?" He smiles at her.

"Don't give me that crap." Lady says dryly, but she seems more relaxed in his company now.

Dante stares past her, out the window, Lady turns in her seat to look as well, and gasps, her eyes widening at what she's just seen.

"Looks like the party's getting out of hand." Dante grins broadly. "Let's rock!"

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	4. Knocking On Heaven's Door

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Woohoo, I've finally finished the first Devil May Cry, (bout time doh) and absolutely fell in love with it. Dante rocks, Trish kicks butt, though I just can't imagine the two of them together but, it's like, um, incest or something. . I'm sure the idea appeals to some people, and I'm totally cool with that, but in my future DMC fics I think I'll skip the Dante&Trish pairing. **

**Anyways, here's a longer chapter for you guys, I decided to introduce a little bit more Dante&Lady interaction(!) so, I hope you'll enjoy. I need your feedback though! Especially on how to handle the intimate scenes that I'm planning for the next chapter, how far you guys want me to go etc. Some of my readers may feel uncomfortable with this, hence the rating, so don't say I didn't warn you! **

**Thanks for reading! (and reviewing!)

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Screams pierce the tranquil night outside the coffee shop. An army of shambling monsters limp down the street in pursuit of a young man in priestly robes followed closely by a familiar face, red dreadlocks flying.

Dante bursts through the door, immediately starting to blast away at the creatures with Ebony and Ivory.

"Jase! Move out of the way, kid!" He shouts.

The priest grabs the boy and ducks for cover behind a table under a gazebo, muttering frantic prayers.

Lady expertly empties two rounds on the unyielding wall of undead creatures. When she runs out of ammo, she steadies Kalina Ann over her shoulder, planting her foot firmly on the ground for support, and pulls the trigger.

The shattering explosion blasts the creatures, bits of flesh and blood and gore and shrapnel pieces flying in all directions, destroying Dante's car in the process.

The smoke clears, revealing another, bigger legion of the revolting monsters, beginning to close in on the pair, who stand back to back in an offensive stance. The sheer number of the dead things fills Lady with despair, and her icy resolve breaks.

"Fuckers!" Dante swears in frustration, feeling a surge of adrenaline mixed with demonic rage boil within. His eyes blaze an angry red.

Suddenly, there's a bright flash of blood red light emanating from Dante, surrounding him in a crimson glow. The air around him ripples from the force of the transformation; muscle and bone mutate to demonic perfection, as Dante assumes his dreaded Devil form.

With a whirlwind dance of his gleaming Rebellion blade, Dante descends like a wrathful angel of justice, cleaving through the zombie crowd.

But he's no angel.

He's a crimson blur of motion to Lady's human eyes, destroying all that stands in his path.

There's something primal to his diabolical might, something…erotic about the way he slashes away at the monsters with electrifying dark power, infernal majesty manifest, the raw display of a demon lord's ghastly strength and speed; the ultimate proof of the infernal ones' superiority over humans, the legacy of the legendary dark knight Sparda.

It stirs a violent, thrilling, unfamiliar feeling within Lady, as her eyes follow the demon's blindingly fast form massacring the creatures, compelled to watch.

Within a minute, the street's scattered with numerous zombie parts and black blood splattered everywhere, not single one of the animated creatures remain alive.

The call of battle lust and dark rage subside, and Dante shifts back to his human form.

Observing his handiwork, Dante nods to himself in satisfaction.

"These ugly bastards sure go down easy." He sighs dramatically and dusts himself off. "So much for the crazy party I hoped!"

Strapping his trusty sword on his back, Dante spins around smoothly, his crimson trench coat trailing behind him as he casually walks up to Lady, who is staring at him still with her wide, exquisite eyes full of awe and horror.

She's clearly impressed, grudgingly so.

"Well, our nasty guests are all dead, no thanks necessary." He leans in awfully close, his face shadowed. Lady shivers slightly in reaction to his brooding sensuality washing over her.

"Listen, Lady; shooting me in the head is one thing, but wrecking my car is totally unacceptable! Cripes, woman! Who taught you to use that thing!" Dante growls, his blue eyes blazing.

Lady blinks, dumbstruck momentarily, the rational side of her immediately shaking off the unwanted, delicious feeling that crept up so suddenly, stealthily.

"It's not my fault your bloody shitbox was in the way!" She yells back, her delicate face twisting in anger; she's obviously not the one who backs down easily.

"It wasn't, for fuck's sake!" Dante snarls, flustered.

"Was too!" Lady says defiantly, her rose-coral lips pouted.

"You so owe me for that!" Dante grumbles, narrowing his steely blue eyes, stepping closer, though there's nothing threatening about this particular movement, on the contrary, it's provoking strange emotions.

"I don't owe you shit, Mr Sparda!" Lady places her hands on her shapely hips, glowering stubbornly.

"The way I see it, you owe me your life too, just a couple of times no less!" Dante smirks grimly, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Lady turns bright pink at his ugly, stark reminder, appalled and outraged.

"You're a jerk!"

"You know you love me." Dante purrs and reaches out to touch her face.

"Buzz off!" Lady swats his hand away.

Their bickering comes to an abrupt halt at the priest's loud, uncomfortable and meaningful cough.

The duo immediately turns to their spectators; Jase and the young priest. Jase's jaw still hangs, his eyes are wide in fear and astonishment, wonder and admiration from the effects of the Devil Trigger.

"Evening padre, glad to see you guys in one piece." Dante says chirpily.

The priest; a kindly young man with soft green eyes and a curling mass of blonde hair, bows his thanks.

"I don't know who, or _what_ you are…but you're Godsend, brother."

"Don't bet on that one." Dante murmurs under his breath.

He then goes up to Jase, who's still mesmerised, and gives him a quick glance over, inspecting for signs of mutation. The boy's skin has taken on an ugly, chalk-like pallor, and the dark rings have deepened under his eyes. Though, with his acute, demonic senses, Dante can tell the infection hasn't entirely taken over yet. There's still time…

"Wow…Dante…My father told me you were strange, but I never imagined you were actually a...a.."

"Demon?" Lady offers helpfully.

Jase nods his head enthusiastically, Dante pats him on the back in a friendly manner.

"Yeah, that's me, Dante the demon, your friendly neighbourhood." He says somewhat dryly.

"What's going on? Where did these awful creatures come from?" The priest interjects.

"Long story, padre. But for now, let's get you guys to safety first."

* * *

Lady sits on the black leather sofa, zipping up her hoodie and sipping a hot mug of tea. Her skin's not pasty, but a radiant porcelain from a refreshing, through scrubbing with exfoliating body wash, and her hair's gleaming a lustrous shade of ebony, still damp. 

Jase is sleeping in the next room, his door securely locked, and the priest has finished his praying, now dozing off in front of the television.

Dante kicks open the door to his lounge-room, freshly shaven and freshly showered, clad in nothing but a pair of worn black leather pants, still drying his hair; his long fingers working through the platinum-silver tresses roughly, aggressively almost, seeming to be working something out of his system, sweeping the long white locks back from his forehead as he strolls over.

Lady takes in his exotic splendour; the unusual hair, the slanted, arctic blue eyes, the sharp, perfectly angled features of his face, the hard, defined muscles of his chest and arms rippling as he moves toward her…She wonders just what it is about him that draws her, touches something deep inside her .

Dante grins, as though he can read her thoughts, and ruffles his hair, shaking his head slightly so the silver strands fall and hang about his face.

Lady blushes and flicks her attention away from him. Outside the world was hell, and here she was, fantasizing about a demon.

"How you feeling?" Dante asks gently.

"I could be better." Lady says softly.

"Well, you could be worse." He smiles that broad, charming smile of his.

"I just wish Jase was okay. The poor thing…" She sighs.

"Yeah, I know, unfortunately there's nothing we can do, but wait, I guess. And when the time comes…I'll make it quick, I promise."

Lady just nods faintly at his remark..

"Hey, wanna see something cool?" Dante suddenly asks.

"What is it?" Lady asks, slightly alarmed.

"Hold these." He grabs the doona, two pillows, the blankets, piling them in Lady's lap as she watches with a raised gentle brow, he then goes to the kitchen and snatches the pot of tea, a bottle of bourbon and coke, and some chips.

"Up for a late-night picnic?" He grins at her.

Lady groans and slaps her forehead.

"I'll take that as a yes." Dante beams.

* * *

The rooftop is dark, blanketed by the vast black velvet sky, dotted with stars winking like tiny diamonds, illuminated by the moon's full-phased light. The air is pleasantly cool and the silence is bliss.

Dante lays the blankets on the floor , arranges the pillows and sets down the drinks and the munchies.

Before she can say anything, he scoops her up in his arms, and tenderly lays her down upon the warm covers.

Lady sits up, drawing her knees up to her chest, catching a glimpse of a shooting star.

"It's beautiful up here…" She admits softly.

Dante stretches out next to her, folding his hands behind his head, his eyes fixed up at the moonlit sky.

"Yeah, me and Vergil used to come up here in the summer, mom would make us honey cakes, and we'd just sleep under the stars. It was awesome."

Lady glances over, intrigued by the subtle tremble in the rough silk of his voice, the brief glimmer of tears in his eyes as he stares up.

"I'm sorry." Her words were a whisper.

"I'll get over it. There's no point in dwelling in the past." Dante says, as though trying to convince himself.

"There's no harm in remembering the good times." Lady offers in an unusually soft, sweet voice.

"I guess you're right." Dante says absently, taking a large swig of the bourbon and coke. "So, tell me, how come you don't have a boyfriend?"

"I've got better things to worry about than a boyfriend." She says, sipping her tea. "Besides…to tell you the truth, I'm not overly popular with guys." She adds tensely, slightly flushed.

"Why's that?" He asks curiously, turning to look at her.

"I don't know…They feel they're somehow threatened by me."

"Oh, if that's the case I'm sure they have overlooked something."

Lady smiles slightly, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. If this was another guy, she would have taken offence, but she knows he means well.

"What about you? How come you're single?"

"I never said I was." Dante flashes a bright grin.

Her smile vanishes from her doll-like face, replaced by a look of bitter disappointment and sadness.

"I'm with _you_, babe." He says reassuringly, reaches out and tousles her hair affectionately.

Surprisingly, she doesn't pull back, instead shuffles even a little closer, taking refuge in his presence.

He draws her down to him, then rolls, trapping her underneath him. Lady gasps, startled, feeling his solid weight over her, not crushing her, but rather covering her with his warmth. Instinctively, her legs part, and he lowers himself between them with a stifled groan.

Lady swallows, her heart racing. "Just what do you think you're doing!"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He drawls, kissing the tip of her button nose, his lips then grazing hers.

Lady frantically slides her hands up his back, one leg wrapping around his waist. He's impossibly hard, and demanding, his thick, throbbing length pressed against her most delicate area, where no man has ever touched before. She wriggles beneath him and slightly raises her hips in an instinctive response to his fierce arousal. The sensation is mind-blowing.

"You're the biggest cock-tease ever!" Dante growls softly, cradling her face in his hands.

Her senses are overwhelmed; confusion and desire merges, taking over her reason.

Dante sucks on her cherry bottom lip, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her clean skin and hair, dying to be inside her, until he was buried fully to the hilt. His tongue pries her lips apart and surges deep into her mouth.

Lady shudders, her tongue emerging shyly to meet and intertwine with his in a long, wet kiss.

Moon's pure silver light bathes the young lovers, causing the shadows to envelope them.

And so begins their brief paradise.

* * *


End file.
